Thursday, May 06, 2004
Rocking in the Free World
Well, not rocking exactly - except back and forth on my swivel chair today while doing a tryout gig on the copy desk at The Standard, one of two English language dailies in Hong Kong.
But the "free world" feeling is salient. I got a nice buzz editing a story that mentioned the "Tiananmen Square massacre" - a candid reference to An Event That Dares Not Speak Its Name across the border.
The newsroom itself, too, is another world. As the fellow who is ultimately responsible for deciding my fate here described it: "It's like the cantina scene in Star Wars." Mostly Chinese, but a fair number of foreign barbarians - including a few women - hailing from, among other climes, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Australia, many parts of the UK and some fellow Yanks.
'Twas refreshing too, to overhear one sarcastically refer to "our beloved despotic overlords in Beijing", a remark that would fly about as far as a one-winged bat with Parkinson's in the SZ Daily newsroom.
Jim Morrison said it best: "I guess I like it fine - so far..."
Well, not rocking exactly - except back and forth on my swivel chair today while doing a tryout gig on the copy desk at The Standard, one of two English language dailies in Hong Kong.
But the "free world" feeling is salient. I got a nice buzz editing a story that mentioned the "Tiananmen Square massacre" - a candid reference to An Event That Dares Not Speak Its Name across the border.
The newsroom itself, too, is another world. As the fellow who is ultimately responsible for deciding my fate here described it: "It's like the cantina scene in Star Wars." Mostly Chinese, but a fair number of foreign barbarians - including a few women - hailing from, among other climes, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Australia, many parts of the UK and some fellow Yanks.
'Twas refreshing too, to overhear one sarcastically refer to "our beloved despotic overlords in Beijing", a remark that would fly about as far as a one-winged bat with Parkinson's in the SZ Daily newsroom.
Jim Morrison said it best: "I guess I like it fine - so far..."
# posted by Justin @ 9:05 AM 
